The Five Easy PiecesOscar nominee also known for such films Nashville, [Easy Rider, The Great Gatsby], and Alfred Hitchcock’s final [film] Family Plot has died at [age] 74. Karen Black recently had turned to crowdfunding to help with her long battle against cancer. Her husband, Stephen Eckelberry, confirmed Black’s death in a Facebook post: “It is with great sadness that I have to report that my wife and best friend, Karen Black has just passed away, only a few minutes ago,” he wrote. “Thank you all for all your prayers and love, they meant so much to her as they did to me.”

Perhaps best known to horror fans for her roles in fright films such as Trilogy Of Terror wherein she memorably faced off against a demonic Tiki Doll, Dan Curtis’s Burnt Offerings, The Last Horror Film, and with a recent revival of her horror status as Mother Firefly in Rob Zombie’s House Of 1000 Corpses, Karen Black (born Karen Blanche Ziegler) had a long and varied film and television career beginning in 1959, working consistently with two films currently in post production (coming out this year (2013). She was an amazing actress who put herself entirely into any role she took on. She will be missed.